(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved interlock assembly for preventing more than one horizontally sliding drawer in a file cabinet from being opened at one time. In particular, the present invention relates to an interlock assembly which uses horizontally rotating cam members with opposed cam surfaces and blocks contacting the cam surfaces with mating surfaces each having lobes between valleys which engage when the cam member is rotated in one direction to provide the interlock and which disengage when the cam member is rotated in the opposite direction to release the interlock and provide the lobes in the valleys.
(2) Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,883 to Young shows an interlock assembly wherein cam elements rotate vertically to raise and lower vertically mounted locking bars provided in a track. The device works well; however, the interlock mechanism is quite expensive to manufacture and assemble. U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,236 to Laroche also describes cam elements which are vertically rotated to move locking bars. This apparatus is more expensive to construct. Other prior art believed to be less pertinent is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,851 to Slusser are U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,090 to Breckner et al.